Paul Barton, assistant director for operational services at Wigan Council, said: “Irresponsible dog owners who let their dogs foul without cleaning up are a major nuisance to communities and pose a risk to the health of people.

“In Atherton the council is planning to work with local groups to highlight the issue and to get tougher on the perpetrators with more enforcement action.

“To do this we need the help of local people to report incidents to us so we can catch the culprits.”

Anyone caught in charge of a dog fouling public places will be hit with a hefty fine.

To report an incident of dog fouling, residents are encouraged to use the Report It app or go online at www.wigan.gov.uk/reportit

Residents are encouraged to give much intelligence as they can about the person responsible - times, days, descriptions - which will help environmental officers patrol the area at the right time and have the best chance of witnessing and dealing with the incident.